Christian Bale Wins Best Supporting Actor Oscar -Christian Bale | Baleheads Blog Christian Bale Wins Best Supporting Actor Oscar Posted on by Dina HOLLYWOOD (AFP) – Britain’s Christian Bale won the best supporting actor Oscar for his role as a former boxer brought down by drug addiction in “The Fighter.” The film, about an Irish-American boxer’s battle to escape his older half-brother’s shadow and to win glory in the ring, edged out frontrunners “The King?s Speech” and “The Social Network” for the top Oscars prize. Meanwhile, Melissa Leo won the best supporting actress Oscar on Sunday for playing the fiery mother of troubled Irish-American boxing brothers in “The Fighter.” Leo, who had been the frontrunner for her performance in the real-life tale of a boxer battling to emerge from his troubled brother’s shadow, was presented with the Oscar statuette by film legend Kirk Douglas, 94. “Hey, you’re pretty good looking yourself. What are you doing later on?” she joked to the veteran actor, father of Michael Douglas, after he kept her waiting before announcing her name was in the Oscar winner’s envelope.

“I know there’s a lot of people that said a lot of real, real nice things for several months now but I’m just shaking in my boots here,” she said, before thanking her co-stars and the film’s makers. Leo won from a shortlist for supporting actress that also included Britain’s Helena Bonham Carter, US actress Amy Adams, Australian Jacki Weaver and 14-year-old Hailee Steinfeld. The actress had already won a Golden Globe for her role in “The Fighter” last month, along with co-star Christian Bale. Born in New York in 1960, Leo has enjoyed a two-and-a-half decade acting career in film and television, but it was only in the last two years that she has been recognized by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. She was nominated for best actress Oscar in 2009 for the low-budget independent drama “Frozen River,” playing a working-class woman attempting to support her family by smuggling immigrants into the US from Canada.

On that occasion she had been up against a stellar A-list of fellow nominees that included Meryl Streep, Kate Winslet, Angelina Jolie and Anne Hathaway — Winslet took the award for her role in “The Reader.” “Toy Story 3,” the third instalment of the family-friendly franchise, won the Oscar for best animated film. The latest outing for Woody, Buzz Lightyear and co., voiced by the usual cast including Tom Hanks and Tim Allen, is already one of the biggest-grossing movies of all time. Source I wish to thank my co-admin at baleheads.com, DuraMater, and all the members there for the wonderful time we had on our party thread, sharing such wonderful emotions, and the joy of winning! You’re awesome, guys! Related Posts Mark Wahlberg: ‘I played golf with Donald Trump. He was very Donald Trump-like’ <p>The Deepwater Horizon star’s career has spanned pop fame as Marky Mark, dozens of blockbusters, reality TV and even a walk around the greens with the Republican terror.

No wonder he still relies on his entourage to stay normal </p><p>His arms are still absurdly muscular – his T-shirt sleeves straining over his biceps, Popeye-style – but <a href="">Mark Wahlberg</a>’s handshake is gentle. “Hey,” he says, slumped in his chair in a central London hotel, looking an unpromising mix of bored and glum. The glumness is because his wife and four children are flying back to their home in Los Angeles as we speak. Also, at the age of 45, he is only “just coming round to London”, he says in a tone that strongly suggests this acceptance of the city is, at most, at the mid-point stage.</p><p>“The first time I came here, I just couldn’t …” he trails off, before citing the usual American criticisms of Britain: the food and the weather.

“Back then, the only place I’d been besides Boston was New York, and I’d pretty much only eaten my mom’s cooking,” he concedes, sounding like Boston and mom’s cooking are all he still needs, really.</p><p> <span>Related: </span><a href="">Stiff upper lip or man on the edge? How movies see real-life heroes</a> </p><p>He was very Trump-like, talking business, properties and stuff. I don’t think he asked many questions about what I do</p><p>Everything good happened when I started focusing on my faith.

I sound like I’m in the recruiting office, don’t I?</p> <a href="">Continue reading...</a> Deepwater Horizon Amy Adams on Big Eyes, American Hustle and Batman v Superman <p>The star talks about singing, acting and the abused artist she plays in her latest film, Tim Burton’s Big Eyes</p><p><a href="">• Read Peter Bradshaw’s review of Big Eyes</a><br></p><p> <a href="">• Margaret Keane, the artist who painted the big-eyed children</a><br></p><p><strong>Hi Amy.</strong></p><p>Good morning! Ooh, it isn’t morning where you are, is it? Well, happy new year.

That’s a bit more neutral, isn’t it?</p> <a href="">Continue reading...</a> Big Eyes David O Russell and Jennifer Lawrence aim to clean up at 2016 Oscars with mop biopic Joy Mangano movie, about creator of Miracle Mop and Huggable Hangers, to proceed with script by Bridesmaids writer and Christmas 2015 release date<p>David O Russell's latest film, the <a href="">Jennifer Lawrence-starring biopic Joy</a>, is being pitched for a tilt at the 2016 Oscars after producers revealed it will hit US cinemas next Christmas.</p><p>Deadline reports the film, in which Lawrence stars as the creator of the Miracle Mop, will be <a href="">released during the end-of-year window often set aside for awards season candidates</a>. With Russell and Lawrence ubiquitous in the Oscars race in recent years with collaborations such as Silver Linings Playbook and American Hustle, the timing indicates that Joy is hoping to follow suit.

Annie (Bridesmaids) Mumolo has written the script.</p> <a href="">Continue reading...</a> Joy American Hustle director David O Russell: 'I identify with these strivers and survivors' – video interview David O Russell, the director of American Hustle, tells Henry Barnes how his crime caper rounds off a trio of films (including The Fighter and Silver Linings Playbook) that celebrate those who live by instinct. He says his years in the wilderness helped him learn how to hustle Hollwood.

American Hustle, which sees a pair of con artists (Bale and Amy Adams) recruited by the FBI to help bring down corrupt politicians, is released in London's West End on Friday and will be on general release from 1 January 2014 <a href="">Continue reading...</a> Culture Mark Kermode's DVD round-up The Fighter; Brighton Rock; Howl; West is West; Rabbit Hole; How Do You Know?<p>Receiving a Golden Globe for his hyperkinetic best supporting actor turn as a washed-up pugilist in <strong>The Fighter </strong>(2010, Momentum, 15), Christian Bale graciously acknowledged that he couldn't have got away with a performance that "big" without a sounding board as quiet and understated as Mark Wahlberg – and he's right. The pair play Dicky and Micky, real-life boxing half-brothers from Lowell, Massachusetts the former of whom coulda been a contender until KO'd by junk. When Micky becomes the family's new rising star, his unreliable sibling (who is now being followed by a documentary crew) hangs on to his coat-tails, promising to coach him to success.

Can Micky put aside his fearsome family – which includes Melissa Leo's tough-as-nails matriarch and a rogues gallery of Budweiser-chugging sisters – and strike out on his own with new love Amy Adams? Or will this tight-knit brood ironically prove to be his secret sucker punch?</p><p>The fact that the stoical Wahlberg (who also produced) failed to gain an Oscar nomination for his lead role in <em>The Fighter</em> while his colleagues walked away with gongs tells you something about awards juries. Unlike his more showy contemporaries, the artist formerly known as Marky Mark has the ability to do very little and do it very well. As for the film itself, it comes across as a punchy but lightweight companion piece to <em>The Wrestler</em> (Darren Aronofsky was originally slated to direct), and was tellingly advertised as the "best boxing movie since <em>Rocky</em>" rather than <em>Raging Bull</em>.

Extras include commentaries, deleted scenes, and an hour-long documentary, "The Warriors Code", which tracks the film-makers' fast-and-loose progress on the streets of Lowell, and features the real-life faces behind the feisty fairytale action.</p> <a href="">Continue reading...</a> DVD and video reviews Will Christian Bale jump on board Darren Aronofsky's Noah's ark epic? Black Swan director has reportedly approached The Fighter actor to star in his retelling of the story of Noah's ark<p>Darren Aronofksy has approached Christian Bale to star in his planned $130m (£79m) retelling of the story of Noah's ark, <a href="" title="">according to the Vulture blog</a>.</p><p>The US director is <a href="" title="">currently shopping his ambitious epic fantasy around studios</a> and has been attracting a degree of interest thanks to the success of his last film, <a href="" title="">Black Swan</a>, which won an Oscar for Natalie Portman and wound up a worldwide box office smash, taking more than $300m despite a meagre $12m budget.

Attracting Bale to the project would no doubt help him convince the Hollywood money men to back it: the Welsh-born actor has achieved both critical and commercial success over the past couple of years and even has a 2011 best supporting actor Oscar on his mantelpiece for David O Russell's <a href="" title="">The Fighter</a>.</p> <a href="">Continue reading...</a> Darren Aronofsky Alice Ward, mother played by Melissa Leo in The Fighter, dies 'We lost the leader of our family,' says ex-boxer Dicky Eklund after Ward died of cardiac arrest in Boston hospital<p>Alice Ward, the woman <a href="" title="Melissa Leo">Melissa Leo</a> portrayed in her <a href="" title="Oscar">Oscar</a>-winning performance in <a href="" title="The Fighter">The Fighter</a>, has died aged 79 in Boston after a cardiac arrest.

Ward was the mother of boxers Micky Ward (played by Mark Wahlberg in the film) and Richard "Dicky" Eklund (played by <a href="" title="Christian Bale">Christian Bale</a>, also Oscar-winning) and helped manage both their careers – though, as the film records, they had varying degrees of success.</p><p>Known as spirited and loyal, Ward reared a family of nine children (seven girls and two boys) in the working-class town of <a href="" title="Lowell, Massachussetts">Lowell, Massachusetts</a>. Eklund, from her marriage to Dick Eklund Sr, told the Lowell Sun: "We lost the leader of our family. She was a great woman – a strong woman.

She taught us all what it means to be strong because she never gave up on any of us."</p> <a href="">Continue reading...</a> Melissa Leo David O Russell linked with Russ Meyer biopic The Fighter director could turn attention to breast-obsessed film-maker who straddled indie and soft porn, reports say<p>David O Russell aims to follow the Oscar-winning success of The Fighter with a biopic of Russ Meyer, the large-breast-obsessed, DIY director of cult films such as Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill! and Supervixens, <a href="" title="">Deadline reports</a>.</p><p>Russell is looking to adapt Jimmy McDonough's biography of the 1960s and 70s film-maker, titled Big Bosoms and Square Jaws: The Biography of Russ Meyer, King of the Sex Film.

Merritt Johnson, who worked as an assistant on Russell's film Three Kings, is being tapped to take screenwriting duties.</p> <a href="">Continue reading...</a> David O Russell Why Hollywood loves boxing more than boxing does | Kevin Mitchell The Fighter picked up some Oscars but the main event is in trouble, plus Mike Tyson's latest rehabilitation<p>Hollywood has always loved boxing - but not enough this time for The Fighter to beat <a href="" title="The Kings Speech at the Oscars">The King's Speech at the Oscars</a>. Still, it picked up a couple of gongs, including one for Welsh actor Christian Bale, who beat Geoffrey Rush for best supporting actor in his role as Mickey Ward's wayward half-brother, Dicky Eklund. "Mate, you're the best," Bale shouted out to Eklund in the audience. "He's had a wonderful story and I can't want to see the next chapter … If you want to be a champion, if you want to train with him, go and meet with him. Go and check him out. He deserves it."</p><p>Eklund was not bowled over in a rush of luvvies. There will not be another chapter.

He has had his Hollywood moment and will be forgotten soon enough, like most fighters. Sure, the allure of the fight game is still there. It's just that it's in a shimmering, passing image on a screen. The real business is struggling - <a href="" title="as the Seattle Times observes">as the Seattle Times observes</a>.</p> <a href="">Continue reading...</a> Boxing Oscars 2011: The King's Speech reigns triumphant • British drama takes best picture, Colin Firth wins best actor, Tom Hooper best director and David Seidler picks up best original screenplay<br />• Natalie Portman wins best actress<br />• The Fighter stars take both best supporting actor and actress<p>The King's Speech was crowned best picture of the year at the 83rd Academy Awards. The film picked up four of the key awards of the evening from its 12 nominations: for best film, best actor for Colin Firth, best original screenplay for David Seidler and, in the evening's one semi-upset, best director for Tom Hooper.

</p><p>In the other categories, Natalie Portman picked up the best actress award for Black Swan, while David O Russell's The Fighter won the best supporting actor award for Christian Bale and supporting actress award for Melissa Leo. </p> <a href="">Continue reading...</a> The King's Speech Oscars 2011: Christian Bale wins fight for best supporting actor award British actor Christian Bale wins Oscar for portrayal of problematic boxing brother in The Fighter<br /><a href="" title="">Follow our Oscars 2011 live coverage here</a><p>The British actor Christian Bale has won the best supporting actor Oscar for his performance as a drug-addicted former boxer in The Fighter.</p><p>Bale followed up his success at the Golden Globes with an Academy Award, coming out on top of a shortlist that also included Geoffrey Rush (The King's Speech) and Jeremy Renner (The Town).</p> <a href="">Continue reading...</a> Christian Bale The Fighter – review Despite its seven Oscar nods, The Fighter has a TV-movie feel, says Peter Bradshaw<p>Now is as good a moment as any to call time on Hollywood's newest and most annoying cliche.

Whenever there's a film based on real people, it's practically a legal compulsion now to show a sentimental, celebratory snapshot of these real people over the closing credits. There they are, you see, recognisable though obviously not as attractive as the stars playing them, underwriting the movie's authenticity with their palpable realness.</p><p>The Fighter is based on the true story of 1990s welterweight boxer Micky Ward and his crazy ex-fighter brother Dicky, played by Mark Wahlberg and Christian Bale – and of course, it finishes with a short and faintly smug video clip of the real brothers themselves.

Disconcertingly, it isn't clear which &nbsp; is which.</p> <a href="">Continue reading...</a> Drama High on Crack Street scores the hits despite The Fighter's fancy footwork The 1995 documentary about boxer-addict Dicky Eklund captures something missing in Christian Bale's mannered turn<p>The Fighter, David O Russell's Oscar-nominated <a href="" title="true story of 90s boxer Micky Ward">true story of 90s boxer Micky Ward</a>, played by Mark Wahlberg, is about a guy who slugs his way up from the tough streets of <a href="" title="Lowell, Massachusetts">Lowell, Massachusetts</a>. He has a troubled relationship with his half-brother and trainer Dicky Eklund (Christian Bale), a former boxer who is now addicted to crack but who finally appears to confront his demons, at least partly as a result of a television documentary being made about him as the movie begins: we see the camera crew following Micky and Dicky around.</p><p>This documentary really did exist.

Entitled <a href="" title="High On Crack Street: Lost Lives In Lowell">High on Crack Street: Lost Lives in Lowell</a> and directed by Maryann DeLeo and Richard Farrell, it was transmitted on US TV in 1995 and is now <a href="" title="available free on the web">available for free on the web</a>.</p> <a href="">Continue reading...</a> Christian Bale The Fighter tells the story of the real-life Rocky Small-town boxer Micky Ward was on a losing streak until clinching a world title. Now his troubled tale comes to life in a new hit film<p>We've seen it a dozen times before: the blue-collar contender who dreams of being a boxing champ. He fights personal battles, struggles in a dead-end job, and jogs along derelict streets punching the air in the training montage, all leading up to the Big Fight. As the title suggests, <a href="" title="The Fighter">The Fighter</a>, starring Mark Wahlberg as the put-upon contender, does very little to challenge the movie cliches of Rocky and its ilk, but the key difference is that this story actually happened – to "Irish" Micky Ward.

From the impoverished town of Lowell, Massachusetts, Ward really did turn around his losing streak, gave it one last shot and triumphed, winning the WBU light welterweight title in 2000.</p><p>"I guess that's the way things happened but I never thought in a million years it would be turned into something like this, y'know?" says Ward, now 45 and retired from boxing since 2003. Did his life feel like a boxing movie when he was living it? "To be honest, no, not at all. It's not really a boxing movie anyway. The boxing's the backdrop, but it's more about family dynamics, it's about the struggles of two brothers, ups and downs, all that."</p> <a href="">Continue reading...</a> Film The Fighter KOs the sports-movie cliches The Fighter gives other fight movies a bloody nose, says John Patterson, because it rains blows on its protagonists both in and outside the ring<p>The biggest loser in David O Russell's <strong>The Fighter </strong>is the fight-movie in particular, and the sports-movie genre in general.

Usually when a sports movie kicks off, we can anticipate a harrowingly familiar structure defined by the passage of the season, from warm-ups and practice through qualifying heats - or, in this case, bouts - through the quarters and semis and the final itself, with a side-dish of triumph over adversity, moral or familial redemption, getting the girl and saving your soul. It's an iron-clad formula that makes sports movies similar to rock'n'roll biopics like Ray and Walk The Line – they have exactly the same plot and structure, and are often the same movie.</p><p>The best sports movies are the ones with the smallest amount of actual sport in them: This Sporting Life, where the action is all in pubs and bedrooms, with the rugby field an existential zone of combat; ditto Raging Bull, with its mere 18 minutes of epoch-making fight footage set against a convincing, lovingly detail-packed evocation of Italian-American, working-class family life in the 1940s and 50s.

Or Ali, which is a symphonic recreation of the diverse threads of African-American aspiration in the 60s, with some boxing.</p> <a href="">Continue reading...</a> Film The Fighter - Awards - IMDb Mark Wahlberg THE FIGHTER packs a punch with such power that it smashes through the boxing genre and into a ... More THE FIGHTER packs a punch with such power that it smashes through the boxing genre and into a higher class. This true American tale is celebrated by director David O. Russell as an exploration of competitive dysfunction, while championing the fighter in each of the film's characters. Mark Wahlberg stands tall and proud as the significant heart of a film filled with knockout performances from Melissa Leo, Amy Adams and Christian Bale's Dicky, "The Pride of Lowell," who spars with inner demons, but finds the will to be in his brother's corner when it counts. African-American Film Critics Association (AAFCA) 2010 Won 2011 Oscar Nominations 2011 Oscar Nominations By Jason Valentine. Published Tuesday, January 25th, 2011 BEVERLY HILLS, Calif.

(AP) -- The British monarchy saga "The King's Speech" leads the Academy Awards with 12 nominations, including best picture and acting honors for Colin Firth, Helena Bonham Carter and Geoffrey Rush. Also nominated for best picture Tuesday were the psychosexual thriller "Black Swan"; the boxing drama "The Fighter"; the sci-fi blockbuster "Inception"; the lesbian-family tale "The Kids Are All Right"; the survival story "127 Hours"; the Facebook chronicle "The Social Network"; the animated smash "Toy Story 3"; the Western "True Grit"; and the Ozarks crime thriller "Winter's Bone." "True Grit" ran second with 10 nominations, including acting honors for Jeff Bridges and Hailee Steinfeld. The Feb. 27 Oscars set up a best-picture showdown between two favorites, "The King's Speech" and "The Social Network." "The Social Network" won best drama at the Golden Globes and was picked as the year's best by key critics groups, while "The King's Speech" pulled an upset last weekend by winning the Producers Guild of America Awards top prize, whose recipient often goes to claim best picture at the Oscars.

"This story has struck such a rich resonant chord with audiences of all ages, which is very exciting - to have your work honored by your industry peers is even better," Rush said in a statement. The favorites in the male-acting categories both were nominated, Globe winners Firth as best actor for "The King's Speech" and Christian Bale as supporting actor for "The Fighter." The best-actress field shapes up as a two-woman race between Annette Bening for "The Kids Are All Right," who won the Globe for actress in a musical or comedy, and Natalie Portman for "Black Swan," who received the Globe for dramatic actress. The supporting-actress Oscar could prove the most competitive among acting prizes. Melissa Leo won the Globe for "The Fighter," but she faces strong challenges from that film's co-star Amy Adams and 14-year-old newcomer Steinfeld, who missed out on a Globe nomination for "True Grit" but made the cut for supporting actress at the Oscars. "The Social Network" casts Jesse Eisenberg as Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, who's depicted as an interpersonal lout in one-on-one relations but a genius for the masses, creating an online hangout where half a billion people now keep connected with friends.

"The King's Speech" stars Firth as Queen Elizabeth II's father, the stammering George VI, who reluctantly came to the throne after his brother abdicated in 1936, a terrible time for a stuttering monarch as British subjects looked to their ruler for inspiration via radio as World War II approached. The two films represent a showdown between classy, traditional Oscar bait and edgy, youthful, up-to-the-minute drama. With its aristocrats, statesmen and perilous times, "The King's Speech" is a throwback to the majestic, eye-filling costume pageants that dominated film awards in Hollywood's earlier decades. Its nominations also include best director for Tom Hooper and supporting-acting slots for Bonham Carter as the king's devoted wife and Rush as his wily speech therapist. "The Social Network" is an immediate story, set not in palaces but college dorm rooms, cluttered start-up space and anonymous legal offices where Zuckerberg battles former associates over the proceeds of his invention. David Fincher is the best-directing favorite for "The Social Network" after winning that prize at the Globes. "My recommendation to anybody who wants to get an Oscar nomination is, work with David Fincher.

It was just a triumph of teamwork," Aaron Sorkin, nominated for best adapted screenplay for "The Social Network," said on ABC's "Good Morning America." Along with Firth and Eisenberg, best-actor contenders are Javier Bardem as a dying father in the Spanish-language drama "Biutiful," which also is up for best foreign-language film; Bridges as boozy lawman Rooster Cogburn in "True Grit," a role that earned John Wayne an Oscar for the 1969 adaptation of the Western novel; and James Franco in the real-life tale of a climber trapped in a crevasse after a boulder crushes his arm in "127 Hours." Bening was nominated for best actress as a lesbian mom whose family is thrown into turmoil after her teenage children seek out their sperm-donor father in "The Kids Are All Right." Portman was nominated as a ballerina losing her grip on reality in "Black Swan." Other best-actress nominees are Nicole Kidman as a grieving mother in "Rabbit Hole"; Jennifer Lawrence as a teen trying to find her missing father amid the Ozark Mountains' criminal underbelly in "Winter's Bone"; and Michelle Williams as a wife in a failing marriage

 in "Blue Valentine." Joining Fincher among best-director picks are Darren Aronofsky for "Black Swan"; Joel and Ethan Coen for "True Grit"; Tom Hooper for "The King's Speech"; and David O.

Russell for "The Fighter." One notable snub was the omission of director Christopher Nolan for "Inception," though he got a nod for original screenplay. Nolan also missed out on a directing Oscar nomination for "The Dark Knight," which was famously not nominated for best picture. The directing category is back to an all-male lineup after Kathryn Bigelow became the first woman to win that prize last year for "The Hurt Locker," which also claimed best picture. Bale, the star of Nolan's "Batman" franchise, is a strong favorite to win supporting actor as former boxer Dicky Eklund, who helps his half-brother to a title shot after his own career unraveled amid drugs and crime in "The Fighter." The film's star, Mark Wahlberg, missed out on a nomination as Eklund's half-brother, boxer Micky Ward.

Two years ago, Bale's "Batman" co-star, the late Heath Ledger, was on the same awards track as he won a posthumous Oscar for supporting actor for "The Dark Knight." "The Fighter" offers two sterling supporting-actress performances from Leo as Ward and Eklund's doting but domineering mother and Adams as Ward's tough, defiant girlfriend. Steinfeld, who was just 13 when she shot her debut performance in "True Grit," also is a strong contender as a girl who hires lawman Cogburn to track down her father's killer. "Toy Story 3," the top-grossing film released in 2010, also is nominated for animated feature and is expected to become the fourth-straight winner in that category from Disney's Pixar Animation, following "Up," "WALL-E" and "Ratatouille." Pixar has won five of the nine animation Oscars since the category was added.

The other animation nominees are "How to Train Your Dragon" and "The Illusionist." While two of the three animated categories are huge commercial successes, the best-picture race is a mix of big commercial hits and smaller critical darlings, which is what academy organizers wanted when they expanded the competition to 10 films. Like "Toy Story 3," "Inception" is a blockbuster, coming from director Nolan, whose "The Dark Knight" missed out on a best-picture nomination two years ago, contributing to the decision to double the number of contenders so that acclaimed popular movies would have a better chance. "True Grit" is the first $100 million Western hit since the 1990s, "The Social Network" climbed to about $95 million in revenue, and "Black Swan" is closing on $100 million. At the other end are "Winter's Bone" with $6.3 million and "127 Hours" with $11 million, respectable returns for lower-budgeted independent films but small change next to big studio productions.

Besides Leo, Adams, Bonham Carter and Steinfeld, Jacki Weaver earned a supporting-actress nomination as a crime family matriarch in the Australian thriller "Animal Kingdom." Rounding out the supporting-actor field with Bale and Rush are John Hawkes as a backwoods tough guy in "Winter's Bone"; Jeremy Renner as a holdup man in the bank-heist thriller "The Town"; Mark Ruffalo as a sperm-donor dad in "The Kids Are All Right." The Oscar ceremony will be televised live on ABC from Hollywood's Kodak Theatre. --- Christian Bale: 10 things you need to know about the Oscar-nominated actor - Mirror Online TV Christian Bale: 10 things you need to know about the Oscar-nominated actor Nominated for his first Oscar, Christian Bale could be crowned Best Supporting Actor for his role in The Fighter. Share Get celebs updates directly to your inbox + Subscribe Thank you for subscribing! Could not subscribe, try again laterInvalid Email Nominated for his first Oscar, Christian Bale could be crowned Best Supporting Actor for his role in The Fighter. Here are 10 things you should know about the actor: 1.

Christian Bale was born on January 30, 1974 in Haverfordwest, Wales. His father was a commercial pilot, and his mother was a performer and circus clown. 2. He is married to Sandra Blazic, a former model and personal assistant to Winona Ryder. The couple have one daughter named Emmeline who was born in 2005. 3. Christian Bale was the first non-American actor, and the youngest to play Batman. 4. In 1984, Bale made his stage debut in Londons West End in The Nerd. He starred alongside Rowan Atkinson. 5. He has already won a Golden Globe for his role in The Fighter. His acceptance speech was bleeped by NBC because he was cursing. 6. Christian is active in many organisations, including Greenpeace and the Ark Trust. 7. His first on-screen role was in 1983. At the age of nine, he took part in an advert for Pac-Man cereal. 8. He is the step-son of feminist author Gloria Steinem. 9. If he plays an American character, he will use an American accent in all related interviews. He does this so the audience does not get confused.

10. He was involved in an infamous incident where he verbally abused cinematographer Shane Hurlbut on the set of Terminator Salvation. The video was popular on the internet, and Bale has since apologised. Like us on Facebook Most Read Most Recent ‘The King’s Speech,’ Portman & Bale Among SAG Winners | Access Hollywood ‘The King’s Speech,’ Portman & Bale Among SAG Winners January 30, 2011 3:18 PM PST “The King’s Speech” won the best-actor trophy Sunday for Colin Firth and a second honor for its overall cast at the Screen Actors Guild Awards. The two prizes capped a weeklong surge of Hollywood honors for the British monarchy saga, which is building momentum for the Feb. 27 Academy Awards, where the Facebook drama “The Social Network” previously had looked like the favorite. Natalie Portman earned the best-actress award at the Screen Actors ceremony for “Black Swan,” while “The Fighter” co-stars Christian Bale and Melissa Leo swept the supporting-acting honors, boosting their own prospects come Oscar night.

“The King’s Speech” leads Oscar contenders with 12 nominations, among them best picture and actor for Firth, who has been the awards favorite virtually since the film premiered at festivals half a year ago. “Until today, I would say probably, if ever I felt that I had a trophy which has told me that something’s really happening for me, it was my SAG card,” said Firth, who plays Queen Elizabeth’s dad, George VI, as he takes the throne in the 1930s while struggling to overcome a debilitating stammer. “Growing up in England, it’s not something you expect to see in your wallet, really,” Firth continued. “And so it has this glow, and I used to flash it around, hoping it would get me female attention, entry into nightclubs and top-level government departments. It didn’t.” Many winners had gushing words for the protection and fellowship their union offers. “I’ve been working since Iwas 11 years old, and SAG has taken care of me,” said Portman, who won for her role as a ballerina losing her grip on reality.

“They made sure I wasn’t working too long and made sure I got an education while I was working.” Bale is a strong favorite for the supporting-actor Oscar as real-life fighter Dicky Eklund, whose career unraveled amid drugs and crime. Eklund briefly joined Bale on stage, the actor telling him he’s “a real gentleman.” “I love acting. I love what we do,” Bale said. “It’s so bloody silly at times, isn’t it? It’s like playing dress-up, and other times it is so meaningful. I just enjoy that so much — we get to walk in other people’s shoes. Life without empathy is no fun at all. “ Leo, who plays the domineering matriarch of Eklund and half brother Micky Ward’s boxing family in “The Fighter,” was speechless for a long moment after taking the stage. “I’m much better when I have my words written for me and somebody’s costumes to put on,” said Leo, 50, an Oscar nominee two years ago for “Frozen River” who had success earlier in her career on TV’s “Homicide: Life on the Street” but has caught a second wind at an age when many actresses find roles scarce.

“This has been an extraordinary season for me.” Betty White, who is having her own career resurgence in her 80s, won for TV comedy actress for “Hot in Cleveland.” “I must say this is the biggest surprise I’ve ever had in this business. There wasn’t a prayer. I am so lucky to be … at 89, to be working …,” White said, pausing as the crowd interrupted her with effusive applause. “You didn’t applaud when I turned 40.” Alec Baldwin won his fifth-straight guild award for best actor in a comedy series for “30 Rock.” “I don’t know what to say. This is ridiculous. I’m so happy,” Baldwin said. “We’ve had a great year with the show.” “Modern Family” won for overall cast performance in a TV comedy. Steve Buscemi of “Boardwalk Empire” and Julianna Margulies of “The Good Wife” won as best actors in a TV drama. “Boardwalk Empire,” a Prohibition-era gangster series, also won for overall TV drama cast performance.

Buscemi’s thanks included a shout out and congratulations to Martin Scorsese, who won a Directors Guild of America Award prize the night before for directing the pilot episode of “Boardwalk Empire.” Scorsese was ill and unable to attend. “Marty, we love you. We hope you feel better, and we love working with you. Please come back,” Buscemi said. Margulies had warm words for her in-laws “for producing truly the most spectacular human being, who I get to call my husband.” Before the show began, the guild presented its award for film stunt ensemble to the sci-fi blockbuster “Inception” and the TV stunt prize to the vampire drama “True Blood.” “The Social Network,” chronicling the rise of Facebook, had been the early Oscar favorite for best-picture, named the year’s top drama by key critics groups and the Golden Globes. But “The King’s Speech” has surged forward in the past week, pulling upset wins at the Directors Guild and Producers Guild awards and leading the Oscar field at last Tuesday’s nominations. “The Social Network” had two SAG nominations but came away empty-handed.

Last year’s individual winners at the guild awards — Bridges for “Crazy Heart,” Sandra Bullock for “The Blind Side,” Mo’nique for “Precious” and Christoph Waltz for “Inglourious Basterds” — all went on to win at the Oscars. The cast prize, considered the guild’s equivalent of a best-picture honor, has a spotty record at predicting the top Oscar winner. The recipient of the guild’s cast award has gone on to claim best-picture at the Oscars only seven of 15 years since SAG addedthat prize. Last year’s guild cast recipient, “Inglourious Basterds,” lost out to “The Hurt Locker” in the Oscar best-picture race. The 17th annual SAG Awards, held at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, included a life-achievement honor for Ernest Borgnine.

“We are a privileged few who have been chosen to work in this field of entertainment,” said the 94-year-old Borgnine, whose award was preceded by a tribute including clips from his Oscar-winning performance in 1955’s “Marty” through his role in last fall’s action comedy “Red.” '‘I hope that we will never let our dedication to our craft fail, that we will always give the best we possibly can to our profession.” Copyright © Firth, Portman, Bale, Leo win Screen Actors prizes - Boston.com TV Firth, Portman, Bale, Leo win Screen Actors prizes Colin Firth accepts the award for best male actor in a leading role for "The King's Speech" at the 17th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards on Sunday, Jan. 30, 2011 in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J.

Terrill) By David Germain AP Movie Writer / January 30, 2011 E-mail this article Add a personal message:(80 character limit) Your E-mail: Print | Text size – + LOS ANGELES—"The King's Speech" won the best-actor trophy Sunday for Colin Firth and a second honor for its overall cast at the Screen Actors Guild Awards. The two prizes capped a weeklong surge of Hollywood honors for the British monarchy saga, which is building momentum for the Feb. 27 Academy Awards, where the Facebook drama "The Social Network" previously had looked like the favorite. Natalie Portman earned the best-actress award at the Screen Actors ceremony for "Black Swan," while "The Fighter" co-stars Christian Bale and Melissa Leo swept the supporting-acting honors, boosting their own prospects come Oscar night. "The King's Speech" leads Oscar contenders with 12 nominations, among them best picture and actor for Firth, who has been the awards favorite virtually since the film premiered at festivals half a year ago.

"Until today, I would say probably, if ever I felt that I had a trophy which has told me that something's really happening for me, it was my SAG card," said Firth, who plays Queen Elizabeth's dad, George VI, as he takes the throne in the 1930s while struggling to overcome a debilitating stammer. "Growing up in England, it's not something you expect to see in your wallet, really," Firth continued. "And so it has this glow, and I used to flash it around, hoping it would get me female attention, entry into nightclubs and top-level government departments. It didn't." Many winners had gushing words for the protection and fellowship their union offers. "I've been working since I was 11 years old, and SAG has taken care of me," said Portman, who won for her role as a ballerina losing her grip on reality. "They made sure I wasn't working too long and made sure I got an education while I was working." Bale is a strong favorite for the supporting-actor Oscar as real-life fighter Dicky Eklund, whose career unraveled amid drugs and crime.

Eklund briefly joined Bale on stage, the actor telling him he's "a real gentleman." "I love acting. I love what we do," Bale said. "It's so bloody silly at times, isn't it? It's like playing dress-up, and other times it is so meaningful. I just enjoy that so much -- we get to walk in other people's shoes. Life without empathy is no fun at all. " Leo, who plays the domineering matriarch of Eklund and half brother Micky Ward's boxing family in "The Fighter," was speechless for a long moment after taking the stage. "I'm much better when I have my words written for me and somebody's costumes to put on," said Leo, 50, an Oscar nominee two years ago for "Frozen River" who had success earlier in her career on TV's "Homicide: Life on the Street" but has caught a second wind at an age when many actresses find roles scarce.

"This has been an extraordinary season for me." Betty White, who is having her own career resurgence in her 80s, won for TV comedy actress for "Hot in Cleveland." "I must say this is the biggest surprise I've ever had in this business. There wasn't a prayer. I am so lucky to be ... at 89, to be working ...," White said, pausing as the crowd interrupted her with effusive applause. "You didn't applaud when I turned 40." Alec Baldwin won his fifth-straight guild award for best actor in a comedy series for "30 Rock." "I don't know what to say. This is ridiculous. I'm so happy," Baldwin said. "We've had a great year with the show." "Modern Family" won for overall cast performance in a TV comedy. Steve Buscemi of "Boardwalk Empire" and Julianna Margulies of "The Good Wife" won as best actors in a TV drama. "Boardwalk Empire," a Prohibition-era gangster series, also won for overall TV drama cast performance.

Buscemi's thanks included a shout out and congratulations to Martin Scorsese, who won a Directors Guild of America Award prize the night before for directing the pilot episode of "Boardwalk Empire." Scorsese was ill and unable to attend. "Marty, we love you. We hope you feel better, and we love working with you. Please come back," Buscemi said. Margulies had warm words for her in-laws "for producing truly the most spectacular human being, who I get to call my husband." Before the show began, the guild presented its award for film stunt ensemble to the sci-fi blockbuster "Inception" and the TV stunt prize to the vampire drama "True Blood." "The Social Network," chronicling the rise of Facebook, had been the early Oscar favorite for best-picture, named the year's top drama by key critics groups and the Golden Globes. But "The King's Speech" has surged forward in the past week, pulling upset wins at the Directors Guild and Producers Guild awards and leading the Oscar field at last Tuesday's nominations. "The Social Network" had two SAG nominations but came away empty-handed.

Last year's individual winners at the guild awards -- Bridges for "Crazy Heart," Sandra Bullock for "The Blind Side," Mo'nique for "Precious" and Christoph Waltz for "Inglourious Basterds" -- all went on to win at the Oscars. The cast prize, considered the guild's equivalent of a best-picture honor, has a spotty record at predicting the top Oscar winner. The recipient of the guild's cast award has gone on to claim best-picture at the Oscars only seven of 15 years since SAG added that prize. Last year's guild cast recipient, "Inglourious Basterds," lost out to "The Hurt Locker" in the Oscar best-picture race. The 17th annual SAG Awards, held at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, included a life-achievement honor for Ernest Borgnine.

"We are a privileged few who have been chosen to work in this field of entertainment," said the 94-year-old Borgnine, whose award was preceded by a tribute including clips from his Oscar-winning performance in 1955's "Marty" through his role in last fall's action comedy "Red." "I hope that we will never let our dedication to our craft fail, that we will always give the best we possibly can to our profession." ------ Congratulations!! Christian Bale Wins the Golden Globe Award!! -Christian Bale | Baleheads Blog Congratulations!! Christian Bale Wins the Golden Globe Award!! Posted on by Dina The Facebook drama “The Social Network” led all films Sunday at the Golden Globes with four prizes, among them best motion picture – drama, best director for David Fincher and screenplay for Aaron Sorkin. Colin Firth firmed up his standing as a front-runner at the Feb. 27 Oscars with his Globe win for best dramatic actor in “The King’s Speech,” in which he plays Queen Elizabeth II’s dad, George VI, the monarch who came to the throne in the 1930s age of radio, when his stammer was a grave liability.

Natalie Portman won best dramatic actress as a ballerina losing her grip on reality in the psychosexual thriller “Black Swan.” Portman’s win sets her up for a two-woman showdown for best actress at the Oscars with Annette Bening, who won the Globe for best actress in a musical or comedy for her role as a stern lesbian mom in “The Kids Are All Right,” which also won for best musical or comedy film. It’s familiar territory for Bening. She won the same prize at the Globes 11 years ago for “American Beauty” and went in as the best-actress favorite at the Oscars, where she lost to Globe dramatic actress winner Hilary Swank for “Boys Don’t Cry.” Portman thanked the film’s choreographer, her fiance Benjamin Millepied, with whom she’s expecting a child. He also appears in the movie, and his character doesn’t want to sleep with hers. “He’s the best actor! It’s not true, he totally wants to sleep with me,” Portman said, giggling. The boxing drama “The Fighter” earned both supporting-acting prizes, for Christian Bale and Melissa Leo.

Bale secured his position as front-runner for the same prize at the Oscars, while Leo boosted her own prospects at Hollywood’s big night. Paul Giamatti won for best actor in a musical or comedy for the curmudgeon tale “Barney’s Version,” winning over a lineup that included Johnny Depp, who had two nominations in the category. “Barney’s Version” follows the many loves in his life: his three wives, played by Rachelle Lefevre, Minnie Driver and Rosamund Pike, whom Giamatti described as “a trifecta of hotties.” “I got to smoke and drink and get laid in this movie and I got paid for it. An amazing, amazing thing,” Giamatti said. Fincher said he thought it was strange when “The Social Network” script came to him, since he usually makes dark character studies about misanthropes or films about serial killers. His films include the murder tales “Seven” and “Zodiac.” “I’m personally loathe to acknowledge the kind of wonderful response this film has received for fear of becoming addicted to it, so suffice it to say, it’s been really nice,” Fincher said.

“The Social Network” also won the Globe for musical score for Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross. Sorkin, creator of TV’s “The West Wing,” had kind words for Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, played by Jesse Eisenberg in “The Social Network.” “Mark Zuckerberg, if you’re watching, Rooney Mara makes a prediction at the beginning of the movie. She was wrong. You turned out to be a great entrepreneur, a great visionary and an incredible altruist,” Sorkin said. Bening received her prize for the lesbian-family tale “The Kids Are All Right,” winning in a field that included “The Kids Are All Right” co-star Julianne Moore. The film stars Bening and Moore as a couple whose family falls into turmoil after their teen children seek out the sperm donor that fathered them. “I’m very proud to be a part of this very special film about two women who are deeply in love and try to keep their family together,” Bening said. “My partner, Julianne Moore, I have to thank first. She asked me to do the picture with her.

She made it possible for us to shoot it where we shot it, when we did, so Julianne — you are a class act, thank you.” The buzz around town on Globes weekend was not only about likely winners, but also about a lawsuit filed Thursday by a former longtime publicist for the Globes claiming the organization that runs the show, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, engages in payola schemes for nominations and awards. The allegations have been denied by the HFPA, a group of about 90 reporters covering show business for overseas outlets. Ricky Gervais returned as Globes host for the second-straight year. Gervais joked that Globe nominees weren’t picked just so that Globe voters could hang out with stars such as Depp. “They also accepted bribes,” Gervais said, referring to the publicist lawsuit. Philip Berk, who heads the HFPA, made no reference to the lawsuit during his appearance early in the show, simply offering a perfunctory plug for the quality of Hollywood movies. Gervais pulled few punches as the night progressed, mocking Hugh Hefner, Charlie Sheen, Cher, Bruce Willis, Mel Gibson, Scientologists and Robert Downey Jr., among others.

“Aside from the fact that it’s been hugely mean-spirited, with mildly sinister undertones, I’d say the vibe of the show is pretty good so far, wouldn’t you?” Downey, a presenter, shot back, perhaps only half-jokingly. Bale, who won for his role as a former boxer whose career unraveled amid drugs and crime, thanked his collaborators on “The Fighter,” among them director David O. Russell and star and producer Mark Wahlberg, who plays boxer Micky Ward to Bale’s Dicky Eklund, Ward’s older half brother. “I’ve really got to give a shout out to Mark, because he drove this whole movie, and you can only give a loud performance like the one I gave when you have a quiet anchor and a stoic character,” Bale said. “I’ve played that one many times, and it never gets any notice.” Bale seems to be on the same awards track as his “Batman” co-star, the late Heath Ledger, was two years ago, when he won supporting actor at the Globes for “The Dark Knight” on the way to earning a posthumous Oscar.

Leo, who plays the domineering mother of Ward and Eklund, had gushing words for all of her co-stars — along with her own mother and other ancestors. “Here in Southern California, home of my mother, her mother, her mother before her — look Mom, I got a Golden Globe!” Leo said. “Mark Wahlberg, you are a prince, you are amazing. It was so beautiful to play your mother.” “The Fighter” also is competing for best drama at the Globes, along with “Black Swan,” “Inception,” “The King’s Speech” and “The Social Network.” The regal 1930s saga “The King’s Speech” and the contemporary Web tale “The Social Network” are considered the favorites for best drama. “The King’s Speech” led the Globes with seven nominations and “The Social Network” dominated awards from top critics groups. “Toy Story 3,” the top-grossing film released last year and the second sequel to 1995’s digital animation pioneer “Toy Story,” won the Globe for animated films, making Disney’s Pixar Animation unit five-for-five in the category since it was added in 2006.

Past Pixar winners are “Up,” “WALL-E,” “Ratatouille” and “Cars.” “Wow, were you two even born when the first `Toy Story’ came out?” “Toy Story 3” director Lee Unkrich said to his award’s presenters, 16-year-old pop star Justin Bieber and 14-year-old Hailee Steinfeld, co-star of the hit Western “True Grit.” Robert De Niro received the Cecil B. DeMille Award for career achievement. The usually taciturn De Niro gave an uncharacteristically interesting acceptance speech, making jokes about members of the HFPA being deported (along with most of the waiters working the event) and suggesting that most people in the room hadn’t seen a lot of the films he was proud of, including “Stone,” “Marvin’s Room” and “Stanley and Iris.” “Some of you would be seeing them for the first time. You didn’t even watch the screeners, did you?” De Niro said. Among TV winners, “Glee” won three prizes, best comedy and supporting-acting prizes for Jane Lynch and Chris Colfer.

“Boardwalk Empire” won two prizes, for best drama and dramatic actor for Steve Buscemi. The Globe ceremony traditionally had a strong track record as a forecast for what film would win best picture at the Oscars. But the two shows have split in recent times, with only one top Globe recipient — 2008’s “Slumdog Millionaire” — also winning the main prize at the Oscars over the past six years. A year ago, the sci-fi sensation “Avatar” won best drama at the Globes, but the Iraq War saga “The Hurt Locker” took best picture at the Oscars.

Question: In 2011, Christian Bale won a Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his role as an assistant to his half-brother in which boxing related film?
Answer: The Fighter